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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27548374">When we were strangers I watched you from afar, When we were lovers I loved you with all my heart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/UpAtMidnight/pseuds/UpAtMidnight'>UpAtMidnight</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops &amp; Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dani is a teacher, F/F, Jamie is a barista, More tags to be added, Multi Chapter, no ghosts!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:48:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,312</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27548374</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/UpAtMidnight/pseuds/UpAtMidnight</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Dani had bought a coffee from the small coffee shop every morning before work, but was still yet to exchange more than a few words with the curly haired barista. She was still yet to even ask her her name, let alone have an actual conversation with her."</p><p>or</p><p>Coffeeshop Au where Jamie is a barista and Dani is new to England</p><p>Title from "Harvest Moon" by Neil Young</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dani Clayton/Jamie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>132</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dani had been living in England for three months now and even after a month of teaching at her new job, she still felt out of place. She was trying so hard to learn the English slang and sayings and just when she figured one out, there was a long list of others waiting to confuse her. For example, she learned the hard way that 'fanny pack' isn't the proper phrasing when she said it in front of 25, 10 year olds, even thinking about it makes her want to sink into a hole and hide. She was also finding it hard to make friends, sure she had gotten to know her neighbours and her coworkers but she still felt alone.</p>
<p>She stood in line at a coffee shop called 'Hannah's Coffee' as she thought of how she was going to make some friends, turns out uprooting your whole life and moving halfway across the world by yourself can be rather lonely at times. It was Dani's first time in the shop even though it was only ten minutes from her apartment, she just never thought of stopping by and having a look around. So in her quest of trying new things and trying to make friends, she decided to grab a coffee on her way to work. It was quite a small coffee shop, but it was filled with so much personality, with plants decorating corners and walls, bookcases filled with an array of books and easy music playing quietly from a speaker in a corner somewhere. She stared at all the plants that were dotted around the shop, admiring them and becoming so deep in thought that the barista standing behind the counter had to call out three times before grabbing her attention. As she made her way to the counter it occurred to Dani how beautiful the woman standing there was. She was slightly taller than Dani with short curly brown hair that was tied back with a blue bandana, blue eyes and the most gorgeous smile Dani has ever seen.</p>
<p>"You alright love? What can I get for you?" the woman asked, cup and pen ready in her hands</p>
<p>"Oh yeah I'm sorry, I was in my own world there. Just an Americano to go please"</p>
<p>"An Americano for the American" Jamie laughed, "that'll be £2.50 please."</p>
<p>Dani smiled at the joke and reached for her purse,</p>
<p>"Right yeah this is gonna take me a minute, I'm still not great at recognising which coin is which." Yet another thing she still had to learn whilst in England, she started sorting through her coins.</p>
<p>"Right that's 50 cents-uh pence I think. Wait no, that's 20" She was thankful that there was no one behind her in line, it meant less people saw her failing to buy a simple coffee.</p>
<p>"Do you need a hand?" The barista asked.</p>
<p>"Oh yes please, I know I have enough money, it's just knowing which is which is the problem." She put the coins on the counter in front of her and the barista instantly picked out the right change.</p>
<p>"Thank you, that could have taken me an embarrassingly long time to find" Dani smiled gratefully.</p>
<p>"Don't worry about it Americano." The woman said with a soft smile.</p>
<p>Dani went and stood beside a bookcase, reading the different titles as she waited for her coffee. She was once again snapped back from her thoughts by the curly haired barista,</p>
<p>"One Americano for the American." The woman gave Dani a wink as she set the takeaway cup on the counter.</p>
<p>"Thanks so much." Dani said as she took the cup and smiled at the woman.</p>
<p>"Anytime, literally, considering this is my job."</p>
<p>Dani left the coffee shop, smiling to herself about the barista, she made a mental note as she left to frequent the coffee shop more often, and not just because of the coffee.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dani found herself quite distracted for the rest of the day, which isn't great when you're trying to teach a bunch of 10 year olds. Even when she sat down in the staff room at lunch, trying her best to be part of the conversation she found her mind drifting back to the barista from this morning.</p>
<p>"Dani? You alright?" Her co-worker Rebecca asked her, snapping her out of her daydream.</p>
<p>"What? Oh sorry, my mind was drifting."</p>
<p>"That's no bother, I was just gonna ask how has the first month here gone for you?"</p>
<p>"Oh yeah it's pretty good. I still have a lot to learn though, schools in England and schools in America are so different. It's good though." Dani smiled, taking a sip from her tea.</p>
<p>"I'm glad to hear pet, I can't imagine how different it would be."</p>
<p>Dani spent the rest of her lunch break chatting away to Rebecca about the differences of teaching in America and England, about the kids she was teaching this year and how she was adjusting to life in England. It was nice to be able to chat to someone about it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After the work day, Dani got off the bus and started walking back to her apartment, as she walked past ‘Hannah's Coffee’ she found herself purposely slowing to try see if the barista from this morning was still there. When Dani couldn't see her, she picked up her pace and made her way home. She couldn't understand why she kept thinking about that woman. Was she really that desperate for a friend?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Over the next few days Dani had bought a coffee from the small coffee shop every morning before work, but was still yet to exchange more than a few words with the curly haired barista. She was still yet to even ask her her name, let alone have an actual conversation with her. On Friday morning she made her way into the shop and once she reached the counter she was surprised to see a young man standing behind it rather than the woman she had seen every morning so far.</p>
<p>"Hiya, what can I get for you this morning?" The young man asked.</p>
<p>"Oh hi yeah, can I get just an Americano to go please? Also sorry to bother you but uh, I was actually expecting to see the curly haired barista, the woman who's usually here in the mornings." Dani didn't know why she was so concerned not to see her.</p>
<p>"Oh yeah Jamie, she called in sick so I'm covering her shift. Do you want to leave a message for her or something?" The man asked as he wrote the order on the side of the cup.</p>
<p>"Oh no, I've just been used to seeing her in the mornings. Just curious is all."</p>
<p>"Ok well your coffee will be ready in just a minute"</p>
<p>"Thanks" Dani replied as she handed him the money and stood back, waiting for her coffee. So the barista's name was Jamie she thought to herself, it suited her. Jamie the barista.</p>
<p>Dani exited the shop, coffee in hand and once again her mind was focused on Jamie. Hopefully she'd be back soon.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sure enough, on Monday morning when Dani walked into ‘Hannah's Coffee’, Jamie was standing behind the counter serving another customer. Dani couldn’t control the smile that spread across her face when she saw Jamie look up at her upon hearing the bell above the door jingling and smiling at her. A proper smile, one that reached her eyes and made Dani feel like she actually meant it. Once the man in front of her had finished ordering, Dani made her way to the counter.</p>
<p>“Hi.” She smiled at Jamie</p>
<p>“Hiya love, let me guess an Americano to go?”</p>
<p>“Yes please, I’m in desperate need for coffee this-” Dani started but was interrupted by her own yawn before she could continue.</p>
<p>“Yeah I can see that, wild weekend was it?” Jamie replied as Dani handed her the money for the coffee.</p>
<p>“Me? God no, I was up last night working out lesson plans for this week. Left it too late and here I am, exhausted.” The two women continued their conversation as Jamie made the coffee,</p>
<p>“Ah so she’s a teacher.” Jamie smirked,  “The Americano teacher or- actually what’s your name love? Should probably stop calling you Americano if you’re becoming a regular here.”</p>
<p>“Oh Dani, Clayton. Dani Clayton.” Dani was suddenly getting nervous.</p>
<p>“Wow, we’re on a full name basis already? Scandalous” Jamie winked, “well I’m Jamie, Jamie Taylor.” she said as she put her hand out to shake Dani’s. Dani couldn’t help but laugh at how formal Jamie was acting.</p>
<p>“So is teaching what brought you to London? Or is it love? Or just ‘cause?” Jamie asked as she placed the coffee cup on the end of the counter.</p>
<p>“Well it’s kind of a mix of all three I guess. It’s nice getting to explore somewhere new though.”</p>
<p>“You are quite a mysterious woman Dani Clayton.”</p>
<p>“And what makes you say that, Jamie Taylor?”</p>
<p>“Well I’d never seen you before last week but all of sudden you’ve become a regular in the shop and it sounds like you have an interesting story that led you here. I’d say that makes you a mysterious woman.”</p>
<p>“Touché. Well, if you’d like to find out more about my mystery, as you call it, how about we hang out sometime soon?” Dani didn’t know where this leap of confidence had come from but she definitely wasn’t complaining, maybe she needed to be exhausted more often to have this confidence.</p>
<p>“You’re quite forward Miss Clayton, but yes I’d like to get to know you more, figure out this mystery of yours.” Dani felt like her heart could burst out of her chest upon hearing Jamie’s answer.</p>
<p>“Awesome! I’ll just get your number and we can figure out an arrangement.” As Dani pulled her phone from her pocket she noticed the time. Maybe they had spent longer chatting with each other than she had realised. It was 8:18 and her bus came at 8:20.</p>
<p>“Shit.” She said as she shoved her phone back into her pocket. </p>
<p>“Everything alright? Changed your mind have you? Swear I’m not <em>that </em>boring, Clayton.” Jamie said, and Dani swore she could see a hint of sadness in Jamie’s eyes when she looked up at her.</p>
<p>“No it’s not that. It’s just that my bus comes in two minutes and if I miss it I’m going to be late for work.” She took the coffee from the counter and made her way to the door,</p>
<p>“I’ll catch you tomorrow, I swear.” She said as she left and ran down the street, desperate not to miss her bus.</p>
<p>Luckily she made it just as the bus pulled up, thankful she decided against wearing heels that morning. As she sat down an overwhelming feeling of guilt settled inside her, she hadn’t meant to just leave Jamie hanging, time had just slipped away from her. </p>
<p>It wasn’t until she walked into her classroom that she looked at her cup and saw that Jamie had put a smiley face on the cup, the small action instantly making her feel better.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks so much for the support on the first chapter, I really appreciate it! Sorry for the delay between posting that first chapter and now, life has been busy. Speaking of which, I have exams for the next week so there won't be another update until after then I apologise. This one is longer than the last though so hopefully that makes up for it! Anyways, happy reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jamie made her way to work on Tuesday morning with an extra spring in her step, she was opening which always boosted her mood. While her fellow coworkers hated the opening shift, Jamie loved it. It gave her a chance to water all the plants, have a quiet coffee by herself and just enjoy the silence and stillness of the shop before it opened. But she was also aware of the fact she would be seeing Dani. The thought of getting to see and talk to her again made Jamie disgustingly happy. She wasn’t one to look forward to conversations with people, especially not with someone she barely knew, but she found herself drawn to Dani. If yesterday’s conversation had been any indication, she found it so easy to talk to Dani, as if she’d known her for years. She hadn’t felt that way about someone in a long time, maybe ever if she was really being honest with herself, but it was too early for that kind of thinking. </p><p> </p><p>As different customers came into the shop in the early morning, mostly regulars, Jamie found herself checking the time on her watch over and over again. Dani usually came to the shop around 8:10 so Jamie knew roughly when to expect her. Hannah, Jamie’s manager and friend, who was also on the morning shift with her had noticed how anxious Jamie was, her head springing up anytime she heard the door open.</p><p>“Everything alright pet? You seem quite agitated this morning, usually you’re the relaxed one on the morning shifts.” Hannah asked caringly</p><p>“Yeah all good, just waiting on someone is all.” Jamie said as she cleaned down the counter, having accidentally spilled a customer’s drink. A smile stretched across Hannah’s face,</p><p>“And does this, by any chance, this have something to do with the blonde woman who has been coming in most mornings?”</p><p>“Oh Dani? Maybe, maybe not.” Jamie felt herself blushing.</p><p>“Hmm well Jack told me how she was asking about you when you were out sick last week.”</p><p>“Wait really?” Jamie’s excitement getting the best of her.</p><p>“Yeah she did, seemed disappointed to not see you. Not to pry but, is there something happening between you two?”</p><p>“No, not at all. I mean we barely know each other and I doubt she even likes women, let alone me. She’s probably just looking for a friend.” Jamie felt herself blushing at the thought of Dani being interested in her romantically but shook her head to try clear her thoughts.</p><p>“I don’t know, I wouldn’t dismiss the idea too quickly.” Hannah said as she went to go take a customer’s coffee to their table. Jamie felt a smile creeping upon her, before taking a deep breath to ground herself.</p><p> </p><p>8:10 came and went, then 8:15, then 8:20 and then 8:25 when Jamie realised that Dani wasn’t coming that morning. Maybe she had forgotten, or maybe she was sick, or maybe Jamie had scared her off yesterday. Had she come across as too eager? Or maybe too rude? That happened a lot when she used sarcasm in conversations. ‘Fuck sake’ she thought to herself, she shouldn’t have gotten her hopes up. The rest of the morning dragged by, with no sight of Dani. While Jamie usually tried her best to be friendly with customers, even chatting away to the regulars, there was no such effort today. A quick smile, maybe a few words about the weather and that was all. She couldn’t believe she had let herself get her hopes up over a woman she barely knew. Just before 11 she decided to go for her break, it was quiet enough in the shop and she needed a break from everything. She made herself a coffee and popped into the back room before heading out,</p><p>“Taking my break now Hannah, I’ll be 20 minutes or so.” She tried to leave as soon as she got a response, wanting to avoid any conversation, but Hannah was quicker,</p><p>“Oh Jamie, how was your chat with Dani earlier?”</p><p>“It wasn’t, she didn’t come in.” </p><p>“I’m sorry pet.” Hannah said sympathetically.</p><p>“Don’t, please." Jamie muttered, "Right I’ll be back soon, good luck running the shop without my expertise.”</p><p>“She says to the manager” Hannah said, rolling her eyes playfully, “Enjoy your break, take however long you need.”</p><p> </p><p>Jamie made her way to the park that was 5 minutes down the road, it was where she usually went on her breaks, as long as it wasn’t raining that is. She sat down on a bench and watched the world go by as she drank her coffee. It was quiet in the park, no screaming children to be seen as they were still in school. ‘Thank God’ she thought, it’s not that Jamie hated children or anything, she just wasn’t the biggest fan to put it kindly. All the screaming, crying, snot and sticky hands? No thanks. </p><p>Once her coffee was finished, she took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one for herself. A long breath in and a slow breath out, just what she needed. Sure, she knew it wasn’t the best for her health but it was a better coping mechanism than what she had resorted to in her past, much better. But she decided not to focus on that this afternoon, it was something she preferred not to think about. She took another drag of the cigarette, letting herself relax slightly.</p><p> </p><p>The rest of the day went by without a problem, it was perfectly boring. Just what Jamie liked. She came home to her apartment that evening after having done some shopping and crashed on her couch, she loved working in the coffee shop, they had welcomed her in when no one else would, but some days all the social interaction was exhausting. After an hour or two of watching tv, not really paying attention to the contents, her phone started ringing from the kitchen. She walked over, answering it as she made her way back to the couch,</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“Hiya, it’s me, I’m just passing by yours and wondered would you mind if I popped in for a bit?”</p><p>“Yeah go on then, you know the code.”</p><p>After a minute or so, there was a knock on the door and on the other side was Owen, one of her closest friends. They had known each other for just over 2 years now, he was one of the only people that Jamie could spend all day with without feeling exhausted by the end. She pulled him into a hug,</p><p>“Hey mate. It’s been a while.”</p><p>“Sorry about that, work got on top of me. How are you doing?”</p><p>“No need for apologies, that’s life for ya, and you know me, don’t get up to much so there’s not much to tell. Fancy a beer?”</p><p>“Yeah go on then.” </p><p>The two settled down on the couch, catching up on what they’d missed in each other’s lives. After an hour had passed, with the sun having set and empty Chinese takeaway boxes sitting on the coffee table in front of them, Owen started chatting again.</p><p>“So any women lately?”</p><p>An image of Dani popped into Jamie’s head with her bright smile, blonde hair and beautiful eyes, but she shook her head “Nope, nothing going on at the moment. Couldn’t be bothered for all that, you know me.”</p><p>“Is that so, because Hannah told me the opposite. Something about a blonde American woman?” Owen and Hannah had been together for years, of course she was going to mention Dani.</p><p>“Oh that’s nothing.”</p><p>“Doesn’t sound like nothing from how she described it. What’d she say again, oh yeah, she’s never seen you so excited to talk to a stranger. I couldn’t believe her when she told me, I mean come on, Jamie Taylor wanting to talk to strangers? And being excited about it? Wow.”</p><p>Jamie punched his arm playfully,</p><p>“Shut up. I can talk to strangers, I just prefer not to.”</p><p>“Uh huh, I’m sure. So tell me about her.” </p><p>Jamie couldn’t help but smile when she began talking about her, yet she still insisted she wasn’t falling for a straight girl. She couldn’t let herself go that far. The two friends sat there for another hour chatting away before Owen realised he should head home before it got too late. As they stood at the door saying their goodbyes, Owen brought Jamie in for a hug,</p><p>“I’ll talk to you soon, yeah? You need to come over for dinner soon. Maybe bring this Dani girl with you?” Owen winked.</p><p>“I will kill you Owen Sharma.”</p><p>“You love me too much, anyways, let me know if anything happens between you two. I’m rooting for you.”</p><p> </p><p>Jamie chucked the empty takeaway boxes in the rubbish before heading into her room. Once showered, changed and in bed she couldn’t get her mind off Dani. She needed to get over this stupid crush quickly, if that’s even what it was, she barely knew the woman. ‘Fuck’ she thought, right before she drifted off to sleep.</p><p> </p><p>She woke the next morning, before the sun had risen getting ready for the opening shift, feeling rougher than usual. It was quite possible she had one too many drinks with Owen last night. It was going to be a long day.</p><p>She unlocked the shop and made her way inside, flicking on some lights to bring some life to the place. She connected her phone to the speaker and put her playlist on shuffle, “Harvest Moon” by Neil Young playing softly throughout the shop. She got everything up and running and had the shop open right on time at 7am. It was a fairly slow morning, but that was to be expected. It wasn’t until 9 that the morning rush hit, with many people just arriving into London for the work day. </p><p>With the minutes on the clock crawling by she decided to make a latte for herself, wanting to try a new piece of latte art she had seen while letting herself absentmindedly scroll through Instagram recently. It was only a simple picture of a sunrise above water but it was something to keep her mind occupied. As she held the mug in her hand, using a stirring stick to drag the foam out to the sides slightly, making the sun look a tiny bit more textured, she heard someone clear their throat. She hadn’t even noticed that anyone had entered the shop, let alone walked up to the counter.</p><p>“Hiya what can I get for you?” she looked up and Dani was standing in front of her, “Oh Dani. Hi. You’re earlier than usual, not that I was checking, just like to know when the regulars come in you know. Anyways, hi.” She stopped herself before she turned into a rambling mess.</p><p>“Yeah I know, I felt bad for not coming in yesterday so I decided I’d stop by earlier today.” Dani smiled at her.</p><p>“No need to feel bad, life happens.” Jamie started making the blonde’s drink before she had even asked, it was habit. “So where’d you pop off to yesterday, if you don’t mind me asking?”</p><p>“I slept in, majorly. I woke up ten minutes before work and it takes twenty to get there on the bus. I had to get my coworker Rebecca to mind my class for a while.”</p><p>“Blimey, that doesn’t sound fun.” Jamie said as she handed the coffee to Dani.</p><p>“It really wasn’t. Oh God I haven’t paid yet I’m so sorry, one sec let me try to find the right money.” Dani said, digging into her handbag, looking for her purse.</p><p>“Don’t worry about it, it’s on me.” Jamie smiled.</p><p>“Thank you, you really don’t have to” Dani looked around the coffee shop and then at the watch on her wrist, “Well, I have some extra time before I have to go, I was wondering do you want to sit and chat for a bit? That is as long as you won’t get in trouble. I don’t wanna be responsible for that.”</p><p>Jamie’s face lit up at the suggestion,</p><p>“Ah I don’t mind a bit of trouble,” Jamie winked, “Give me one moment, you can take a seat if you’d like.” She went into the back room where Hannah was putting some croissants into the oven,</p><p>“Hannah? Mind if I take a quick 15 minute break? Shouldn’t be longer than that, honest.”</p><p>“Already? Are you feeling alright Jamie?”</p><p>“Yep perfect.” She smiled.</p><p>“Ah does this have anything to do with Dani?” Hannah quizzed.</p><p>“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Jamie grabbed her latte from the counter and made her way over to the table in the corner that Dani had situated herself at.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi love.” Jamie said, sitting down across from her.</p><p>“Hi.” Dani giggled.</p><p>“What’s so funny?” Jamie asked, slightly concerned.</p><p>“It’s just, all y’all English folk call everyone love. I’m still getting used to it.”</p><p>“Ah yes, I forgot you Americans have weird words for things and don’t understand proper English.” Jamie teased.</p><p>“Says the one who said blimey not even five minutes ago.” Dani joked.</p><p>“Well at least I don’t say y’all.” Jamie replied.</p><p>“So I was wondering,” Dani said after taking a sip of her coffee, “if you’d like to come over to mine for dinner on Friday. I know we hardly know each other and please tell me if I’m being too weird, I don’t know if it’s a normal thing to ask someone over for dinner in England. And if you don’t want to that’s ok too. I just know I’d like to get to know you better.” Dani was quite visibly nervous, with her speed talking, how her foot was tapping against the floor a million miles an hour and how she chewed her lip anxiously waiting for a response.</p><p>“Hey calm down Dani no need to worry, first of all, yes it’s a normal thing people do in England. Second of all, I’d love to come over for dinner on Friday.” Jamie felt like she could explode, her feelings nearly getting the best of her.</p><p>“Ok cool, awesome.” Dani said in possibly the strongest American accent Jamie had ever heard and she couldn’t stop herself from laughing.</p><p>“What?” Dani asked, her smile dropping from her face.</p><p>“It’s just, that was the most American sounding sentence paired with the strongest American accent I’ve heard.”</p><p>“Oh god, I’m sorry. I’ve been trying to blend in with the locals and I’ve been failing miserably.” Dani almost looked disappointed in herself.</p><p>“Hey, no Dani, this is just me being a sarcastic prick. It’s what I do. For the record, your accent and strange sayings are quite cute.”</p><p>Dani’s head snapped up to look at her. Shit, maybe Jamie shouldn’t have added the cute part.</p><p>“Well, anyways. Before I have to go, can I get your number so I can send you my address and such.” She fished her phone out of her pocket, going into her contacts before passing it to Jamie.</p><p>“Now Miss Clayton, I don’t give my number out to just anyone but I guess I’ll make an exception just this once.” She said, typing her number into the phone, saving it under a simple “Jamie :)” and handed it back to Jamie. </p><p>“Why thank you Miss Taylor. I gotta go before I nearly miss my bus, again, but I’ll shoot you a text yeah?” Dani stood, grabbing her coffee and handbag.</p><p>“I’m looking forward to it.” Jamie smiled as she watched Dani leave. Once she was out of sight Jamie made her way back to the counter internally doing a happy dance, yet trying to look calm and collected on the outside. She walked up to Hannah, putting her apron back on while preparing for Hannah’s comment,</p><p>“I’m guessing all went well then?” Hannah knew it had, she had been watching the interaction from the counter but wanted to hear how Jamie was feeling.</p><p>“Yeah, really well.” She smiled. Friday couldn’t come soon enough she thought.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought and if you have any suggestions.<br/>Stay safe &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>First date time!</p><p>Cw:<br/>Mentions of drug abuse/addiction and a slight mention of sexual abuse. Neither are in detail at all, just mentioned.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here's chapter 3, she's a bit of a longer one so I hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Dani got home later than usual from work on Wednesday afternoon, having stayed to work on some corrections. She left the remaining homework that needed correcting on her kitchen table and sat down on the couch, pulling her phone out from her handbag. She had been trying to think of what to text Jamie, not wanting to come across as too pushy but also scared of looking disinterested. She had eventually decided on something simple,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dani [5:15pm]: Hey! It’s Dani, just thought I’d send a text so you have my number as well.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She made her way to the kitchen to prepare herself some dinner, not expecting Jamie to answer anytime soon but as she opened the fridge, she felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jamie :) [5:16pm]: Ah Clayton, I thought you’d never text. How was your day?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dani smiled, surprised that Jamie had wanted to continue with a conversation</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dani [5:17pm]: Oh it was alright, the coffee this morning really helped me get through it (thanks again!). It can be exhausting teaching a bunch of 10 year olds sometimes. Worth it though! How was your day?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She started making a simple spaghetti bolognese for dinner while she waited for a reply. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jamie :) [5:25pm]: It was nice yeah, rest of my shift went smoothly and then I just spent the last hour or two cleaning up my flat. I’d let it get way too messy.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dani and Jamie continued texting back and forth for an hour or so before Dani had to sign off,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dani [7:05pm]: As much as I like talking to you Jamie, I’m going to have to go because I have a stack of homework that needs correcting and if I don’t start now, It’ll never get done. I’ll see you tomorrow x</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dani turned her phone on silent, moving the work over to the couch where she put on the tv for some background noise. Sometimes she regretted giving homework to the kids, it only added to her own work. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She finally finished correcting at around 9pm, too tired to get up just yet she moved the work to the floor and lay down on the couch, watching some random soap opera she didn’t care much about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dani woke up 3 hours later, confused, not having meant to fall asleep on the couch. She sat up, disoriented with the only sound and light coming from the tv in front of her. She made her way off of the couch and switched off the tv as she went. After getting ready for the night and climbing into bed, the comfort of her sheets welcoming her with open arms, the blonde checked her phone before putting it on charge and saw a text sitting there from Jamie.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jamie :) [7:10pm]: Have fun with the corrections (if that’s even possible), looking forward to seeing you tomorrow love x</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dani couldn’t stop the smile creeping up on her when she read the text. She decided she’d respond in the morning, in case she said anything stupid in her exhausted state. The blonde fell asleep quickly, with a certain brown haired woman on her mind as she slept.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As expected, Thursday crawled by for Dani. Of course, her morning started off strong as she got her coffee and talked to Jamie, as if they had known each other years. Dani wished she could have stayed there all day talking to Jamie, there was so much they were yet to tell each other. But that’s what Friday was for, an evening where they could wine and dine, revealing little secrets about themselves without any interruptions. If that’s how Dani felt about Jamie without having ever spent more than a few minutes with her, she couldn’t wait for tomorrow evening. She went shopping after work, picking up some ingredients to make a nice meal for herself and Jamie. She realised she should probably check if Jamie had any dietary needs before buying anything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dani [6:20pm]: Hey just checking, are you vegetarian or vegan or allergic to anything? I’m picking up food for tomorrow and thought I should check beforehand!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jamie :) [6:22pm]: Nope none of that, quite a simple woman I am, Clayton.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Perfect, the blonde thought to herself as she walked around the supermarket. She also picked up some drinks, some alcoholic and some that weren’t, she wasn’t sure what Jamie’s preferences were. Dani could say that about a lot of things when it came to Jamie, especially quite a big preference someone would have. Dani had never clarified if she asked Jamie over as a date or as a friend and she was too scared to do so now, not wanting to scare her off. She wasn’t even sure of which she had meant when she asked. But now that she had gotten to talk to Jamie a bit more, would Dani like for the evening to be a date? Of course, but she would still be happy if the women stayed as friends. Sure, she didn’t even know if Jamie liked women, she had a guess but never wanted to assume. Hopefully she'll find out tomorrow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dani woke up on Friday, a buzz of happiness running through her veins. After getting ready for the day she wrote her address on a piece of paper, stuffed it in her pocket and made her way to work. Of course, first stopping off at ‘Hannah's Coffee’ to get her daily coffee and chat with Jamie. The warmth of the shop welcomed her along with Jamie’s smile, who had a cup ready in her hand. She handed it to Dani before the blonde could even open her mouth, and who was to say if Dani let her fingers brush against Jamie’s a bit more than absolutely necessary.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” she questioned, looking at the cup to see </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dani♡  </span>
  </em>
  <span>written on the side of it, making her smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, seeing as you come in at the same time most days and always get the same thing, I thought I’d get it ready for you before you came in, gives us more time to chat. I hope you don’t mind.” Jamie finished, looking shy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dani took a sip from the coffee, feeling the warmth trickling down her throat, “Of course I don’t mind, that’s very thoughtful of you Jamie. Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah no need for thanks, might as well do something with these busy hands of mine. So, are you looking forward to tonight?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I really am. I even cleaned the apartment, doesn’t happen as often as it should.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Blimey, I’m no royal you know? Just plain old me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dani laughed, “You could’ve said you were and I would’ve believed you, all I know about the royals is that the queen is old.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shite, I forgot about your American ways for a minute there, missed my chance.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh before I forget, here’s my address, you know for tonight.” Dani said as she pulled the now slightly crumpled piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Jamie, “I know I could’ve sent it in a text but there’s a high chance I would’ve forgotten and also, it feels more personal using a note.” Dani couldn’t help but notice the small blush that crept across Jamie’s cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you Clayton, I appreciate it. Now, it’s getting close to 8:20 and in no way am I trying to push you away, but I feel like you should head for your bus now. I’d hate for you to have a repeat of Monday morning.” Jamie said with a warm smile, showing there was no ill intent behind her sentence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit I didn’t realise the time. This is what I mean by I forget things easily. Thank you. So we’re still good for tonight? Say around half seven?” Dani asked nervously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course we’re still good. Now run before you miss that bloody bus of yours.” Jamie said, her eyes holding more emotion than Dani was yet to decipher. She hoped she’d get to understand those eyes more with the time she spent with Jamie. Dani immediately knew those eyes would stay in her mind all day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dani paced up and down her apartment anxiously that evening. She came home from work that afternoon and ran herself a bath, relaxing before she stressed herself over the minor details of the day and the evening that was yet to arrive. She had made a lasagna for dinner and got dressed in a lilac sweater and blue jeans, her hair pulled back from her face and had put on a very minimal amount of makeup. As she walked back and forth, anxiously biting her lip she heard a buzz coming from the phone beside the front door,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hiya it’s me, will you let me up? Fuckin’ freezin’ out here.” Jamie said on the other end</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep, I’ll let you up now. See you in a minute.” Dani pressed the button to open the apartment building’s main door, her hands shaking as she did so. No less than two minutes later and there was a knock on the front door. Dani took a deep breath and stepped forward, opening the door to see Jamie standing in front of her, a bottle of wine in her hand. Dani tried to speak but her mouth went dry looking at how beautiful Jamie looked. She stood there wearing black overalls with a white t-shirt underneath, a pair of black doc martens and a dark green jacket covering her shoulders. Dani noted that it was also her first time seeing Jamie with her down, she always had it up at the coffee shop, it was cut just above her shoulders and she looked absolutely amazing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You alright Dani? You gonna let me in or…?” Jamie looked at her, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dani was snapped away from staring at Jamie</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah of course, come in.” She opened the door a bit wider, closing it behind Jamie after she had stepped in, “Can I take your jacket for you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh sure, thanks. Also I thought I’d bring something with me, felt rude showing up empty handed.” Jamie said as she handed the bottle of wine to Dani along with her jacket, “I hope you like red.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love red, we can have this with our dinner.” Dani led Jamie through to the living area, setting the wine on the table and Jamie’s jacket on a hook on the wall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow something smells amazing Dani.” Jamie said as she looked around the room, taking in all the details of Dani’s decorating.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah the lasagna is still cooking in the kitchen. It shouldn’t be too long.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine by me.” Jamie smiled, that damn smile that made Dani’s heart stop momentarily whenever she saw it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She poured a glass of red wine for the both of them and they made their way to the couch, she turned some music on to have playing in the background as she went.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hope it’s alright that I asked you over. It’s just, I don’t know many people here and I wanted to get to know more people and just I always enjoy talking to you in the coffee shop and here I am rambling away. Sorry” Dani stopped herself, nerves getting the best of her. Jamie put a comforting hand on Dani’s, facing her as she took a sip of wine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey no need to apologise. I’m glad you asked me over, I wanted to do the same but seems like you have more courage than I do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure.” Dani’s memories of America flooded her memory. Not now she thought, she didn’t need the night to be ruined. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, how are you finding England?” Jamie asked, noticing Dani’s reluctance to continue her train of thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh I love it. I’m still adjusting to some things, it was kinda overwhelming at the start, but I’m getting there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah? What’s the most noticeable thing about us English folk?” Jamie asked curiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re a lot colder, like people’s demeanors, not you but like English people in general, like back home if you smiled at someone in the street or said hi, you’d get a smile and a hello as a return. Here if I smile at someone, they look like they’re gonna kill me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah yeah, people like to keep themselves to themselves here.” Jamie said, finding amusement in the thought of Dani smiling at everyone she passes.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Dani’s timer went off for the lasagna and she served it with some salad on the side, putting both plates on the kitchen table along with the glasses of wine. The two women shared some small talk over food, but Dani was glad to find it wasn’t awkward. Sometimes a natural silence would fall between them as they ate and she enjoyed it. They moved back to the couch after dinner, leaving the dishes at the table, they were to be dealt with at a later stage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So Clayton, tell me about you. Not just the you now, the past you, the details that make you appear so mysterious. Only if you want to, obviously.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, what do you want to know.” Dani knew this was coming, she wasn’t quite sure where to start though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess, what brought you to England? I thought America was supposed to be this great good place no one wanted to leave yet here you are. And back in the shop you said it was a mixture of things, so what’s your story Dani Clayton?” Jamie asked with a caring nature, ready to learn more about the American sitting across from her.</span>
</p><p><span>“Well I grew up in Iowa over in the states and worked as a teacher there before coming here and well I guess you could say I moved here because of love, well, lack thereof actually.” Dani said, breaking eye contact from Jamie, “I was dating this guy, Eddie. We’ve been friends since we were like 5, then we started dating and we were even engaged for a while. In Iowa that’s what was expected from me, marry my childhood best friend, build a life together, maybe have some kids. Sometimes it felt like our whole town had a bet on when each milestone would happen. But I just, that’s not what I wanted.  Well I guess I </span> <span>do, just not with him.” Dani paused taking a deep breath.</span></p><p>
  <span>“I kept telling myself I’d eventually feel something more than friendship for him. Even after I realised I was gay, I stayed with him because I was terrified of what would happen if I told him. But a little over 5 months before the wedding I couldn’t handle it anymore.” Dani felt hot tears rolling down her cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I sat him down one evening and told him everything. How I was gay and felt trapped being in a relationship with him. I loved him, but not in a romantic way. I couldn’t love him how he wanted me to. He went ballistic, he just couldn’t handle it. Things were getting thrown everywhere and I had to get out. So I packed my bag and that night I booked a flight to England and stayed at a hotel for a week before leaving, figured I could get a teaching job or a nanny job over here. I didn’t even see my mom before I left, she wouldn’t talk to me after finding out about the whole gay thing. So yeah that’s my story of how I’m here. Now I’m teaching at a primary school about 20 minutes away.” She stopped to try to calm her breathing. “God I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to start crying.” Dani looked at Jamie for the first time since she had started talking. Jamie sat there, eyes filled with tears and concern lacing her face. Jamie moved across the couch and pulled Dani into a hug,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey shhh, Poppins, you don’t have to apologise for anything. No one should have to go through what you went through. Trust me I get it” Jamie pulled Dani away from her shoulder, staring her straight in the eyes before whispering, “I get it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dani fell back into the hug, letting herself cry. Jamie was the first person she had properly told that story to, and it felt so good to let it out, finally. After a few minutes once her eyes and mind had cleared she pulled back and looked at Jamie, one question on her mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you just fucking call me Poppins?” she laughed shakily as she asked the question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean yeah, you said you came over and wanted to teach or be a nanny so my mind pictured you as Mary Poppins flying in with her umbrella. So you shall now be known as Poppins.” Jamie grinned, glad that the nickname had brought some joy to Dani.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love that.” Dani said, staring into Jamie’s eyes, neither of them saying anything but both of them held a level of understanding neither one was ready to talk about out loud. After a minute or so Jamie broke the silence, clearing her throat and held up her wine glass that was now empty,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mind if I get a refill?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no of course not, I’ll put the dishes in the dishwasher and fill both of our glasses up.” Dani stood, reaching out a hand to help Jamie up. As Jamie stood there, Dani let her hand stay in Jamie’s longer than probably necessary. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After the two had cleared the dishes and refilled their wine, the whole ordeal feeling very domestic to Dani, they returned to the couch. Dani couldn’t help but notice that Jamie was now sitting a lot closer to her than before. The brunette turned to face her before talking,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just wanted to say, thank you for trusting me with all that. I know it’s not easy opening up to people about your past, especially when it wasn’t the best experience. So thank you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dani wasn’t sure how to answer, she sat there staring at Jamie and she couldn’t stop her eyes flitting down to her lips. She felt herself moving closer to Jamie, leaning in and then she was kissing the brunette in front of her. She felt cheesy but it was as if time slowed down around the two of them, Dani bringing her right hand up to Jamie’s cheek and Jamie pulling Dani closer by wrapping her arms around her waist. Dani could stay like this forever, it felt so right. But then her mind started catching up with her, making her doubt her actions. She pulled back to see Jamie with her eyes still closed, god what a sight it was, but then her eyes flashed open, full of concern.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, I’m so sorry I shouldn’t have done that. You can go if you want. I’m sorry.” Dani’s breathing started picking up, her eyes filling with tears, terrified that she had messed up her chance of any type of relationship with Jamie, romantic or platonic. Jamie lifted her hand to Dani’s cheek, using her thumb to wipe away the tear that had fallen down Dani’s cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey hey Poppins, you don’t need to apologise. If I’m being honest, I’ve been hoping for that kiss since I met you, but if you want to stop that’s ok. But I’m ok with it, more than ok with it” Jamie smiled, “you’re safe here, I promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure? I just don’t want to fuck up.” Dani said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I’m sure, now c’mere to me.” Jamie pulled Dani towards her, closing the gap between them and continuing the kiss. Dani’s brain was foggy, she had only kissed a few women before and it was usually when she was drunk, she never thought much of it. But kissing Jamie felt so right, it felt so natural. She didn’t know how much time had passed but she felt Jamie pulling back from the kiss, both women breathless and looking at each other with desire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like this.” Jamie whispered</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too.” Dani giggled, feeling like she was back in high school having her first kiss. Except this felt so much better than her first kiss, she wasn’t kissing Eddie because she had to and everyone was expecting her to. No, she was kissing Jamie because she wanted to and Jamie wanted to kiss her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jamie leaned into the back corner of the couch, turning Dani and pulling her back onto her chest and held her close, letting the American lean against her. Dani couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this comfortable in the arms of someone else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this ok? I don’t want to do anything you’re not comfortable with.” Jamie asked quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s perfect.” Dani whispered, feeling herself lean back against Jamie even more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two women talked quietly while listening to the soft music playing through the room, with Jamie running her thumb across Dani’s hand or through her hair, alternating between the two actions. After a while Dani asked a question that had been playing on her mind for a while,</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“What about you? What’s the story of Jamie Taylor?” Jamie’s thumb stopped moving and Dani could feel her whole body tense up, “It’s ok if you don’t want to talk about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no, I might as well put it out there.” Jamie said quietly. It was only the two of them in the apartment but Jamie talking quietly made the whole situation feel a lot more intimate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, well, I was born up North, mum was Louise, dad was Dennis. They had my brother Denny and then I came along. But money was tight, it was hard to get by. So dad started working longer hours, trying his best to provide for our little family. Day in, day out. Naturally, mum got bored and started playing with different men and as a result, my little brother Mikey came along. He wasn’t my dad’s, everyone knew it but it was never talked about it. Eventually my mum left us and dad kept working, dug his head down in the dirt so he did. So I had to look after Mikey, but a kid looking after a kid would’ve never worked and accidents happened. Like not watching a pot boil when your little brother is beside it. So social services were called and we got separated.” Jamie paused taking a deep breath, and Dani squeezed her hand letting her know she was with her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was in and out of the foster care system, no one wanted the local whore’s kid. Not one who had too much trauma and problems that they could deal with. They only took me in for the extra money and so the dads of the family could keep busy behind closed doors. So when I was 16 I headed off to London and was on the streets for a few years. And in a situation like that, you use anything you can to get by. Started off with drink and weed, then progressed to heroin and drink, sometimes cocaine as well. I became dependent on the drugs, the addiction got so bad I couldn’t tell right from wrong. I’m not proud of it, but it happened. Eventually got caught with drugs and shit I’d stolen, coppers obviously didn’t like that so I served 5 years. After I got out I picked up some odd jobs here and there until a few years later I got a job at the coffee shop and two years later, here we are.” Dani turned around to see Jamie with tears running down her face and staring straight ahead, as if lost in her own memories. She wiped them away for her before speaking,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am so sorry, no one should have to go through any of that. Especially not at such a young age. I’m proud of you for still being here Jamie and thank you for trusting me with that information. Seriously, that takes guts.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah it’s whatever.” Jamie said, trying to hide how vulnerable she felt, she wasn’t one for opening up to others, “But like, I get it if you don’t want to take whatever this, us, is after learning all that. Girls in the past have run for the hills after finding out about the ex con and addict thing. So if you wanna stop, just say and I’ll go.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dani sat up in front of Jamie, holding her hands in her own,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey. I’m not going to go running off because of your past. Everyone has a past, yours just happens to be different from mine, that’s ok. It doesn’t change anything, I promise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure? I just want to lay it all out on the table now, before we go any further. I still get nightmares about shit, I go to therapy regularly, I go to NA meetings every month still, I’ve a lot of built up shit Dani. Honestly, I find people exhausting the majority of the time. Even myself, especially myself if I’m being truly honest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that’s ok Jamie, I swear. We all have our own shit.” Dani said, leaning in and kissing Jamie. Jamie sighed out of relief and deepened the kiss, getting lost in Dani.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After an hour or so of chatting, watching tv and kissing, more kissing than anything else, Jamie sat up and Dani let out a sigh at the loss of contact.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be back Poppins don’t worry, mind if I stand out on the balcony for a fag?” Dani nearly choked on the wine she had just started to take a drink from,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A what?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jamie started to laugh before walking to her jacket that was hanging on the wall and pulling a pack of cigarettes from the pocket,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A cigarette, do you not call them fags over in the states?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh a cigarette, no we don’t use the term fag, just cigarette or cig. I don’t mind, go ahead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, want one?” Jamie asked, offering the pack to Dani.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No thank you, I’ll keep you company though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two stood out on the balcony together, the cold air of the night hitting them as soon as they stepped out and Dani leant against Jamie, trying to stay warm. After a few minutes Jamie checked her phone,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit it’s twelve already? I didn’t even notice how late it was getting, I should head, Poppins.” She said as she put the rest of the cigarette out. Dani tried her best to hide the disappointment on her face,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh that’s ok, I guess it is getting late.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two made their way inside and as Jamie went to get her shoes that had been abandoned beside the couch, Dani stopped her,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could stay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Jamie wasn’t sure if she had heard the American clearly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nevermind, it’s stupid I shouldn’t have said it.” Dani said, clearing her throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No Poppins it wasn’t stupid, I was just making sure I’d heard you properly. Normally I wouldn’t stay on the first date, but I’ll make an exception for you. Only if you’re sure though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?” Dani smiled, drifting closer to the brunette.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Jamie pulled Dani in for a kiss, immediately slipping her tongue into her mouth and Dani couldn’t stop the moan that escaped out of her mouth. She took Jamie’s hand in her own, shut off the tv and before she could make it to her room Jamie pushed her against the wall and started leaving a trail of kisses along her jaw and down her neck. Dani moaned at the feeling, pulling Jamie closer to her, letting her hands trail down Jamie’s back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, when they made it to the bed, Dani’s mind caught up with her once again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmm Jamie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dani.” Jamie moaned, sucking at Dani’s pulse point and letting her hands wander down the blonde’s back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jamie.” Dani said, a bit firmer this time while moving out of Jamie’s hold slightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everything ok Poppins?” Jamie asked breathlessly </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s just I. I’ve never done this or anything with another woman. I don’t know how and I don’t want to fuck anything up and disappoint you-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey hey take a deep breath.” Dani didn’t even realise how fast she was breathing or how she was shaking until Jamie took her hand in her own, “We don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with, I promise. We’ll take it at your pace, ok? If you want me to go, I can. Or if you want to just climb under the covers and head to sleep we can do that too. I won’t do anything you’re not comfortable with.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dani nodded, leaning her forehead against Jamie’s,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I want to, I just don’t know how.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s ok, how about I show you? We can stop whenever you want and if you’re uncomfortable with anything, let me know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, Poppins.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Clothes were abandoned at the foot of the bed and the two women spent the rest of the night exploring each other, and Dani felt things she never knew were possible. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the early hours of the morning Dani fell asleep along with Jamie, holding the brunette in her arms feeling safer than she had felt in years.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading! I think the next chapter is gonna be roughly around the same length again and I'm hoping to get it up within the next week or so. As always, let me know what you thought and if you have any suggestions let me know!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dani and Jamie being soft, that's mainly it tbh</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Just a quick content warning:<br/>There's mentions of homophobia, one use of the d slur and this chapter does feature a nightmare. Nothing gruesome, gorey or graphic but thought I'd put the warning just in case.<br/>Happy reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Dani woke up to the sun shining in her face and Jamie lying in her arms. Memories of the previous night flooding back to her and she couldn’t help but smile. She leaned in and placed a kiss on Jamie’s neck,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning Poppins.” Jamie said, her voice deep with sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Morning.” Dani mumbled into Jamie’s skin, still half asleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two lay there in silence for five minutes before Jamie sat up, stretching her arms above her head and leaning down to place a kiss on Dani’s lips,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just going to the loo, be back in a minute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dani couldn’t help but let her eyes follow and trace Jamie’s figure as she walked across the room with no clothes on. Dani turned on her back and let out a sigh, feeling like she was on cloud nine. When Jamie returned she crawled back into the bed, kissing Dani before wrapping her arms around her bare waist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So last night was...wow.” Dani said, turning in Jamie’s arms to face her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could say the same myself, Poppins. For someone who has never been with another woman before, my god you’re good.” Jamie started placing kisses along Dani’s jaw.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmm I had a good teacher.” Dani moaned at the feeling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re too kind.” Jamie moved so she was above Dani and started placing kisses down Dani’s chest which elicited a groan from the blonde. “Is this ok?” Jamie asked, rubbing patterns in Dani’s hip with her thumb, waiting for a confirmation before continuing any further.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>God yes.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Dani pulled Jamie in for another kiss, slipping her tongue into her mouth while moaning at the feeling of Jamie slipping her fingers lower down. Dani could get lost in the feeling of the brunette being pressed up against her while her hand explored Dani.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After another hour the two women finished up and showered together, an experience Dani wasn’t expecting to enjoy as much as she did, and got dressed. Jamie was wearing one of Dani’s old college hoodies and a pair of her sweatpants, seeing as she didn’t have a spare change of clothes with her. Dani couldn’t control the swell of feelings inside of her when she saw Jamie wearing her clothes. Dani started making some sort of form for brunch for the two of them and she let Jamie relax at the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want a cup of tea?” she asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d love one yeah thanks.” Jamie answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She set two plates of eggs, sausage and toast down on the table along with two mugs of tea. Jamie took a sip of her tea and Dani thought she saw her wince but she just smiled at her before digging into her food. The two ate in comfortable silence for a while, having worked up an appetite the previous night and that morning, before Jamie spoke up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dani,” she started seriously, “I have to tell you something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh god, did I fuck up?” Dani placed her cutlery down, not making eye contact with the brunette.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’ve been thinking about how to say this in the nicest way possible but I think I should just come out and say it,” Jamie paused before continuing, “your tea is shite.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” Dani had been expecting for Jamie to say she regretted what they had done, so this confession blindsided her. Jamie took a hold of Dani’s hand that was sitting on the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was trying to drink it without saying anything but seriously, your tea making abilities are shite. I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah sorry I haven’t quite figured out tea yet. Or coffee. There’s a reason why I come to the coffee shop every morning.” Dani laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow and here’s me thinking it’s to see my dazzling face, kinda offended there Poppins.” Jamie joked. “How about I stick to making the brews from now on, yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like a deal.” Dani couldn’t help but focus on part of Jamie’s sentence, </span>
  <em>
    <span>from now on</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Was it too soon to want to have Jamie stick around from now on? Or was she thinking the same thing? Or maybe she was just talking about the shop. After a few minutes Jamie spoke up again,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can practically see the gears turning in your mind, whatcha thinking about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh it’s nothing”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You sure?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, don’t worry.” Dani knew she couldn’t tell Jamie what was on her mind because if she did she was scared she’d scare her off. Another time, she thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two women lounged around the apartment for the next few hours, just enjoying each other’s presence and learning more about each other. Dani was cuddled into Jamie’s side on the couch and she let her eyes drift closed as she listened to the music Jamie had put on in the background. After a while the peace was interrupted by Jamie clearing her throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Poppins.” the brunette whispered, leaving a gentle kiss on Dani’s forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmmm?” Dani mumbled, not wanting to open her eyes and break the bliss and comfort she felt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Poppins, I really have to get going.” Dani opened her eyes to see it was already getting dark outside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit, what time is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Six.” Jamie said, standing up off the couch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought you had to go at five?” Dani stood up with her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I did.” Jamie looked down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jamie, you should’ve gone. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you.” Dani exclaimed, flustered that she had made the brunette late.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey don’t worry, I didn’t want to bother you. You looked so peaceful lying beside me, felt bad having to disturb it. But I really have to go help Owen set up that new telly of his, he’s been buzzing about it all week.” Jamie kissed Dani again before making her way to the door. She turned around before opening it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just wanted to say I really enjoyed last night and today, thank you.” For the first time since last night, Jamie looked shy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I really enjoyed it too, like </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> enjoyed it.” Dani wrapped her arms around the brunette and placed kisses along her jaw and started sucking on her pulse point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seriously Poppins,” Jamie said, biting back a moan, “there will be other nights. And other days. And other moments. Another time let’s say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Promise?” Dani said, not wanting to let go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I promise.” Jamie smiled, kissing Dani a final time before heading out the door. Dani couldn’t stop smiling as she made her way back to the living room, the past nearly 24 hours had been bliss, yet she still found herself missing Jamie. She was falling fast.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The week following Dani and Jamie’s date had ended up being a blur for Dani. She had stayed late after school nearly every day either tutoring a kid who needed a little extra help or working on lesson plans or corrections. She barely had time to speak to Jamie and only had the chance to grab a coffee once that week from Hannah’s Coffee. She had also begun receiving texts from Eddie, begging her to fly back to the states and to take him back. When she didn’t reply it got ugly and she eventually just blocked his number. By the time Friday afternoon had rolled around, she couldn’t be more grateful for it, already thinking of the bath and multiple glasses of wine she had planned for the evening. After she dismissed her students from their last lesson, she dropped her head to her desk and stayed like that for a few minutes until Rebecca appeared at the doorway, clearing her throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whew, rough week was it Clayton?” she said, leaning against the door frame.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just long, yeah.” Dani sat up, trying to make herself look a bit more presentable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fancy going out for drinks next week? Thought it was time we got to know each other properly and also it’s a good chance to wind down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh I’d love that Rebecca, just what I need honestly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perfect. I would suggest this weekend but I’ve got a date tomorrow night and don’t plan on going home alone afterwards, if you know what I mean.” Rebecca winked and Dani felt a laugh escape from herself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anyways, there’s a pub called The Manor maybe thirty minutes from here? I think it’s close to where you had mentioned you lived.” Rebecca continued</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah I’ve walked past it a few times, it’s like ten minutes from mine.” Dani thought back to the pub and it’s dark doors.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll send you a text later and we can sort out a time. See you monday morning anyways.” Rebecca left the room and Dani started clearing up the mess of the classroom from the day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once Dani got home after cleaning up and doing her weekly grocery shop, she made herself some dinner, watched some tv and soaked in the bath until all the warmth had left the water. She climbed into bed and decided to send a text to Jamie, feeling guilty for having barely talked to her that week.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dani [10:20pm]: Hey Jamie, I’m really sorry for the lack of contact this week. Work has been busy as hell and it feels like today is the first time this week that I’ve gotten the chance to relax properly. How are you?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No longer than a minute after sending the text, she saw three dots popping up on her screen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jamie :) [10:22pm]: Hey Poppins, no need to apologise for anything, life gets in the way, that’s perfectly ok. I’m doing good, wanna talk about your week?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dani went to type out a response but opted to call Jamie instead. Thankfully, she picked up within seconds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hiya.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi, sorry I should’ve checked before calling you, I just wanted to hear your voice I guess. Is that stupid? That’s probably stupid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not stupid at all Dani, it’s actually very sweet. I’m glad you called if I’m being honest, I’ve missed you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve missed you too Jay.” Dani spoke quietly, putting her phone on speakerphone on the pillow beside her and closed her eyes, trying to imagine Jamie lying beside her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So tell me about your week.” Jamie said kindly and Dani could hear some movement on the other end of the phone and Dani guessed Jamie was lying down in her own bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“God it was rough. This week was LGBTQ+ awareness week in school so I did a few lessons with the kids about different topics like the history of the community, different identities and some different stuff against homophobia and transphobia. Let’s just say some parents weren’t happy about that, saying I was going to corrupt their children. Then three different kids threw up on Wednesday and another one on Thursday. Then I’ve been behind on corrections and I’ve been tutoring and it’s just been a long week. Sorry.” Dani felt bad for complaining to Jamie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’re you saying sorry for Poppins? That sounds like a week from bloody hell, I’m sorry it was so rough. Also those parents sound like assholes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you talk to me about your week?” Dani enjoyed lying there and listening to Jamie talk, it helped her relax.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, it was alright, I’ve missed you though, I like getting to see you in the mornings. Had the weekly roast dinner at Hannah and Owen’s on Sunday and the rest of the week has been fairly quiet. Bought a few new plants, I’ll send you pictures of them later.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After an hour or so of chatting to Jamie, Dani was zoning in and out of the conversation. She didn’t catch the end of what Jamie had been telling her and tried her best to come up with a generic response that would work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmm, sounds nice.” Dani mumbled, feeling herself getting weighed down by sleep more and more with each passing minute.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You tired?” Jamie asked.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah kinda.” Dani pulled the duvet closer to chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t you try to close those pretty blue eyes of yours and get some sleep?” Jamie said softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Haven’t had much luck with sleep recently.” Dani said, thinking of the nightmares that started happening again ever since Eddie had texted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everything ok?” Jamie sounded more alert, more concerned possibly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just stuff from home bothering me I guess. But it’s fine.” Dani wasn’t in the mood to talk about Eddie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well you’re safe right now and I can stay on the phone until you fall asleep if you want?” Jamie asked and Dani found herself smiling at how kind Jamie was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you sure?" She asked tentatively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't, of course I'm sure." Dani could practically hear the smile in Jamie's voice. She lay there with her eyes closed when she heard some soft music playing through the phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't know if you can hear it but I hope you don't mind if I put some music on, I’ve always found it a good way to wind down."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't mind."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few minutes had passed while Dani willed herself to fall asleep, listening to a song she vaguely recognised, when an idea pushed its way to the forefront of her mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Jamie?" She asked quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You alright Poppins? I'd thought you'd fallen asleep by now, what's up?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you come over?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like now, are you sure?” Dani could hear Jamie sitting up on the other end, her bed sheets rustling around slightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, it was just an idea I guess.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I’ll be there in 10 minutes.” Just like that Jamie hung up the phone and Dani was left with the silence of her room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten minutes felt like an eternity as she waited for Jamie to arrive at her apartment. Finally, she heard a soft knock on the front door, having texted Jamie the code for the main door of the complex. She pulled a blanket around her and made her way to the door, unlocking it and seeing Jamie stood there in a pair of flannel pajama bottoms, Dani’s hoodie she had left with last time and a small bag in her hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Poppins.” Dani pulled Jamie into the apartment and kissed her slowly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I missed you, a lot.” Dani mumbled between kisses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I missed you too.” Jamie replied, smiling, “How about we head to bed? Sounds like you need it after the week you’ve had.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dani let Jamie get into bed first and latched onto her side as soon as she joined her under the covers, resting her head on Jamie’s chest. Jamie leaned in and placed a kiss on Dani’s forehead before lacing their fingers together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, for coming over so soon. I needed this.” Dani mumbled into the dark.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course Poppins, always. Why don’t you close your eyes and try to get some sleep huh? I’ll be right here the whole night, I promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you keep talking for a bit? I just, I don’t want it to be silent. It doesn’t have to be something specific, just anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course.” Jamie started talking softly about her most recent plant purchase and how to take care of each one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dani let her eyes drift close and focused on the gentle rise and fall of Jamie’s chest beneath her and the sound of Jamie’s soft voice, not so much focusing on the information itself, just letting herself listen to the voice of the woman who was with her. If she wasn’t so exhausted she would’ve freaked out at how much Jamie’s presence calmed her, but instead she let herself drift off to sleep with Jamie’s voice calming her mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dani was standing in her old living room back in Iowa and Eddie was standing in front of her. She turned to leave but Eddie’s grip on her wrist tightened and stopped her from moving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now Danielle, where do you think you’re going?” Dani couldn’t speak, she tried to move again but instead Eddie leaned in closer to her face,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Can the dyke not talk anymore?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop!” Dani managed to shout and turned to see her mom and Mrs.O’Mara had appeared, standing beside Eddie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just look at how adorable you two are.” Her mom began, seemingly oblivious to Eddie’s comment, “Danielle you’re going to look just perfect for the wedding next week.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wedding?” Dani muttered, she didn’t know how this was happening. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course sweetheart, don’t worry it’s normal to have nerves. It happens to the best of us.” Mrs.O’Mara spoke up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m not getting married,” she looked up at Eddie, “that’s not, it’s not, no. I said no. What the fuck is happening?” Dani felt Eddie’s palm meet her cheek violently, the sound of the slap echoing out through the room and both of the mothers seemed unphased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re getting married whether you like it or not Danielle.” Eddie said sternly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, this isn’t happening. This can’t be happening.” Dani turned, looking around the room when she heard her name being called faintly by a voice she recognised but couldn’t quite see who it was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dani, Dani, wake up come on, I’ve got you, you’re ok.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She jolted from the nightmare, gasping for air and shaking. She felt her back leaning against someone and jumped away, terrified that she would turn around to see Eddie sitting there. Thankfully it was just Jamie, who was yet to let go of her hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey it’s just me, it’s ok you’re safe. You’re safe Dani. Just a nightmare. I’m not gonna hurt you.” Dani dropped her head against Jamie’s shoulder, tears soaking her hoodie, and tried to get her breathing under control. She felt Jamie lean over and heard the familiar click of the table lamp being turned on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Breathe with me Dani, ok? In and out, nice and slow there we go.” Dani tried her best to match her breathing and after a few minutes of focusing on the rise and fall of Jamie’s chest and her soft counting, she managed to calm down and take breaths without stuttering. She pulled away and looked at Jamie in the soft glow of the lamp that filled the room whose eyes were filled with concern. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There we go, welcome back Poppins. Let’s get you a fresh pajama shirt, yeah?” Dani hadn’t even noticed how much she was sweating until she looked down and saw the dark stains soaked through her shirt. She nodded slowly, unable to do much else from the shock of the dream. She watched as Jamie looked through her drawers looking for pajamas. Eventually she gave her an old Disney one she had forgotten about. Once she was changed, Jamie sat on top of the covers with her, pulling Dani into her chest and kissing the top of her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wanna talk about it?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eddie. He started sending me texts this week and they got ugly and I’ve been having nightmares about him all week.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck Dani, I’m so sorry. I’ll sort him out if you need me to, alright.” Dani laughed slightly in response. “No seriously, I’ll deal with him if needed.” Jamie mumbled, placing a kiss against her temple.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s ok, I’m sorry for waking you. I didn’t mean to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dani you’ve got to stop apologising, you haven’t bothered me or annoyed me. You’re not a burden, I promise.” Before Dani could stop herself, she felt tears slowly falling down her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh Poppins, come here, it’s ok.” Jamie pulled Dani even closer to her upon noticing the tears, closing any gap that had been left between them. The two lay there in silence while Jamie dried Dani’s tears. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to try sleeping again or will we stay up?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t wanna keep you up, but I don’t think I’ll get back to sleep for a bit. I’ll go watch something on the tv, you can go back to sleep.” Dani said, starting to move to the edge of the bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me keep you company out there for a bit, yeah?” Jamie replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They made their way to the couch, pulling blankets along with them. While Dani got comfortable and chose something to watch on Netflix, Jamie excused herself to the kitchen. Dani pulled up a random episode of Friends that she had probably seen 50 times before. She was just looking for something to have in the background, something comforting. Jamie walked back into the room a few minutes later, two mugs in her hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thought I’d make some tea, you know, the proper way.” She said, passing a cup to Dani, “Guess it’s always good for comforting someone. Anyways, what’re we watching?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Friends, it’s always been a good show for me to just put on as a distraction.” Jamie joined Dani on the couch, snuggling into each other under the blankets.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I gotta be honest, I’ve never seen it.” Jamie said, sipping her tea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wanna start from the start or is a random episode ok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever you want Poppins, I’ll watch either.” Jamie wrapped her arm around Dani, pulling her closer and placing a kiss on her cheek. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two stayed in that position for two episodes while Dani finally felt her thoughts clearing, finding herself laughing quietly at the show and answering different questions Jamie had about the characters. She found herself leaning more and more into Jamie’s side, her eyes drooping until finally her head hit Jamie’s shoulder with a force that woke her up slightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright sleepy, how about we try this whole sleep thing again?” Jamie laughed slightly, turning off the tv.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmm yeah, idea, good idea.” Dani’s words were getting jumbled in her exhausted state and Jamie could only find it more endearing. She ended up nearly having to carry Dani back to bed, with the blonde being half asleep. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They lay down in bed and Dani immediately turned towards Jamie, burying her head against Jamie’s shoulder. She never wanted to be close to Eddie in this way, she never felt the want to reach out and just hold him. But now with Jamie, she loved curling up with her and holding her and being held, it was utter bliss in her eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sweet dreams, Poppins.” Jamie muttered after kissing Dani’s forehead. She turned to turn off the lamp that was still on but was stopped by Dani tightening her grip on her waist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please don’t. Can we just keep it on for a bit? Please?” She was terrified of saying the wrong thing. Eddie had never cared for her the way Jamie was caring for her now. Even back in the states, if Dani was anxious or having a panic attack, Eddie told her to just suck it up, which in turn only made it worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s absolutely no bother to me baby. I- is baby ok? I don’t want to say anything that you’re not comfortable with.” Jamie tensed slightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Baby is perfect.” Dani said, slightly muffled as she had her face buried into Jamie’s shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two stayed in that position while Dani quickly fell asleep. Jamie stayed awake long enough to hear Dani’s breath even out and then joined her in sleep.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading! Any thoughts, suggestions or prompts? Let me know down in a comment or my tumblr is here: http://upatmidnightstuff.tumblr.com/ if anyone is interested!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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